


All I Ever Wanted

by thilia



Category: Tokio Hotel
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-25
Updated: 2011-12-25
Packaged: 2017-10-28 23:52:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/313538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thilia/pseuds/thilia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A countdown to Christmas. Home for the holidays, Tom finds himself having to deal with a runaway twin, a frantic search for the Perfect Gift, a smart-assed Gustav who seems to know everything, and entirely too much mistletoe. And then there are of course his growing feelings for his best friend…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ten days to christmas;

**Author's Note:**

> Written for th_fanfic's Secret Santa 2011.

  


**ten days to christmas;**

"Let me do that."

"No!"

"Come on, Bill! You're doing it wrong; you need to–"

"I _know_ what I need to do, for fuck's sake! I may not be a computer geek but I'm not completely technically illiterate. I know how to tick a fucking box, Tom."

"But you–"

Bill whirled around on his chair and scowled at Tom, making the latter take a step back and raise his hands in defence. When Bill's scowl deepened, Tom glared back and folded his arms over his chest.

"I just want to make sure we actually _get_ there," he snapped. "This wouldn't be the first time you booked the wrong flight, so _excuse me_ for doubting you! I'm not going to spend Christmas in Los Angeles just because you're incapable of booking a plane online without _accidentally_ mistyping something or forgetting to hid 'send'."

Bill's eyes narrowed. "You're never going to let me forget about that, are you? My God, it was an honest mistake! And what do you mean, _accidentally_? Are you saying I did it on purpose last time?" He made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl.

Tom shrugged. "That's not what I'm saying. But you did make a mistake last time, and now that you're blond, I just wanted to–"

" _Now that I'm blond?!_ " Bill all but shrieked, making Tom realise that he definitely shouldn't have said that. Actually _thinking_ before speaking was usually a good idea when Bill was concerned.

Oops.

"Are you saying I'm stupid now, just because I decided to dye my hair blond? You're such an asshole, Tom!"

Tom bit his lip, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. Maybe the bleach hadn't made Bill stupid, but he had a feeling that his brother had definitely become even _more_ high maintenance since changing his hair colour.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, giving Bill a sheepish smile. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

Bill glowered at him for another moment, then sighed. "Fine. But I'm not going to make that mistake again, all right? You're not the only one who wants to go home for Christmas, so shut up and let me do this." After a moment, he added, "And stop making fun of my hair colour, you ass!"

He sighed heavily, turned back to the computer screen and hit the 'validate' button. When he got up a moment later and stepped away from the machine, Tom sat down on the chair and checked everything again, relaxing when he realised that Bill had indeed booked them the right flight this time.

He leaned back, rubbing his forearm as he looked at the date displayed on the screen, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Only five more days and they would be back in Hamburg. He hadn't realised how much he missed Germany until a few days ago when, for a couple of hours, they had thought they would have to spend Christmas away from home when David had told them they had a meeting with someone, which had then fortunately been cancelled. As much as Tom liked L.A. these days, he really didn't want to spend the holidays in the sun, but at home with his family and friends.

And Georg.

Georg – and Gustav too, of course – was probably what he missed most when they were on different continents. But especially Georg. They talked on the phone almost every other day, but it still wasn't the same as having the other boy around every day. He missed him, and even though he wasn't going to admit that out loud anytime soon, it was undeniable.

It sometimes scared him how much he missed Georg. Some days, the bassist was the only thing he _could_ think about and his heart jumped every time Georg's ringtone announced a call from him. Part of him knew that it wasn't just a best friend thing and that his feelings for Georg had grown into more over the years, but the bigger part of him just wasn't ready to acknowledge that yet. Or ever.

"Are you satisfied now?" Bill asked suddenly, pulling Tom out of his reverie.

He looked up at his brother and gave him a conciliatory smile, and a nod. "I am. You did everything right. I'm sorry for doubting you. I guess I'm just a little tense because I still don't have presents for about half the people I know."

Bill wrinkled his nose, then sighed, nodding. "I know. I'm sorry for snapping at you, too."

He ran a hand through his recently-bleached hair and nibbled on his bottom lip. "Speaking of – we have to go Christmas-shopping. Do you have time to go with me, or are you going to spend the day getting sweaty with Ria?"

Bill smirked, and Tom grimaced. He hated it when Bill made these sexual references, especially considering his relationship with Ria was purely platonic. They were friends and worked out together, and that was it. Ignoring Bill's statement, he took a breath and shook his head. "No, I have time. Don't feel like working out. And I'm going to need your help finding a gift for Georg. I don't know why but he's always the hardest person to shop for. I have absolutely no clue what to get for him, so I'm hoping you'll be able to help me."

"You could just get him a hairbrush," Bill offered, making Tom snort.

"Don't be a dick," he said but could still not quite hide the amused grin as he shut down the computer and stood up, stretching. "Georg has about five of those."

Bill giggled. "He does! A vent brush, a paddle brush for smoothing, a round brush for straightening, a comb to part his mane, his beloved straightening iron, a crimper for when he just wants to have fun…"

They grinned at each other, then went their separate ways to get ready for their shopping trip, which, Tom knew, would probably last for many, many hours. He knew Bill well.

It wasn't a lie, though – Tom really didn't know what to get for Georg. He wasn't sure if it was because Georg really _was_ difficult to shop for, or if Tom's expectations were just too high. He wanted to get Georg something special, but even finding a non-special gift for him was the hardest thing. So he was left hoping that Bill's creativity extended to Christmas shopping, and that by the end of the day, he would have something for everyone, including Georg.

 

~°~°~°~°~°~

"You want to buy a _scarf_ for mum?"

Bill's face was incredulous and Tom felt his cheeks heat up, feeling like he'd made a capital mistake. He looked at the beautiful turquoise silk scarf in his hands and shrugged, wondering what was so wrong about a scarf. It was winter; cold in Germany. Their mother would need to wear a scarf when she went out. Wouldn't she?

"You won't buy a scarf for mum! She has about ten thousand of those. Besides, she's going to expect something a little more special. Honestly, Tom, can't you do anything right?"

Tom blinked when the scarf was snatched out of his hands and put back on the table after Bill had folded it neatly. He sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck, then slid his hands into his pockets, letting Bill take the lead. Bill was better at this anyway, and Tom wasn't even sure why he bothered to make any suggestions at all. It seemed as if Bill had the whole thing covered.

"What do _you_ suggest then?" he asked, trying not to sound as bored, offended and exasperated as he was. Shopping was always a pain in the ass, but _Christmas_ shopping was especially bad. And shopping with _Bill_ was simply exhausting. His brother dragged him from store to store, always seemingly having a very clear idea of what he wanted, but in the end, they still ran around aimlessly for hours before they finally found what Bill had apparently been looking for from the start.

"Jewellery," Bill said firmly. "I'm going to buy her this gorgeous necklace that I found a couple of days ago, and you'll get her the matching earrings. She's going to love that."

He turned around on his heel and stalked out of the store, not even waiting for Tom to follow him.

Tom sighed heavily, rolling his eyes as he sped after his brother as fast as he could. He had to admit that jewellery _did_ sound like a much more appropriate gift – but he wasn't going to tell Bill that. Bill was smug enough as it was; there was no need to boost his ego.

They found the necklace and earrings, and unsurprisingly, Tom was the one who had to carry the bag after Bill had paid. He already had his hands full of more or less twenty bags while Bill was only holding his man-purse, or whatever he called it. Most of the gifts _inside_ the bags were Bill's too, but Tom knew there was no point in arguing and commenting on the fact that it would be fair if Bill carried even only half of their purchases. Bill always got his way anyway, so Tom just glared at his brother's back as Bill strode out of the jewellery store and made his way over to Sephora.

Tom groaned inwardly. Makeup shopping was worse than anything, and all those perfume smells gave him headaches. "Do we have to?" he complained, giving Bill a pleading look when his brother turned around after grabbing a basket from the stack. "We already have a gift for mum, don't we?"

Bill sighed. "This isn't for mum, silly. I need to get something for Natalie."

"Oh," Tom said. He had completely forgotten that their whole crew would need gifts too. Resisting the urge to burst into spontaneous tears at the idea of _more_ Christmas shopping, he shifted from foot to foot. He was aching all over and just wanted to go home, even though he knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Sephora was Bill's idea of Paradise, and he had to literally be dragged out of there every single time.

"Yes," Bill said, looking around. "I promised I'd get her some Clinique and a few brushes she's wanted for ages."

He eyed Tom, and sighed. "You can stay here, though. Or wait outside, if you must. I'll buy gifts for both of us, so you don't need to worry about that. I won't be long; promise."

Knowing that he couldn't trust those promises when a makeup store was involved, Tom was eternally grateful and gave Bill a smile. He exited the store, shifting all the bags to one side and reaching for a cigarette. He lit it, took a deep drag and leaned against the wall as he looked around at the other stores.

They had gifts for most people they knew now – even Gustav. They still weren't closer to finding something for Georg, though, and Tom wasn't any smarter than he'd been this morning. He'd considered CDs and DVDs, but knew he couldn't get something so banal for his best friend. He needed something more special and meaningful. It didn't even have to be something extraordinarily expensive; it just needed to be special.

Taking another drag off his cigarette, Tom sat down on a nearby bench and frantically tried to come up with something, but gave up before he'd even finished his cigarette.

Gifts for Georg couldn't be planned in advance. He could only hope that he would end up finding something great by chance.

Bill returned less than thirty minutes later – which had to be some sort of record – and declared that their shopping trip was officially over, even though they hadn't found something for everyone just yet. When Tom pointed that out to Bill as they stored their bags in the back of their SUV, Bill gave him a sweet smile and batted his lashes; a look that Tom had learned to fear – for good reason.

"We'll just have to come back tomorrow then, won't we?"

 

~°~°~°~°~°~


	2. nine days to christmas;

**nine days to christmas;**

"So, it's official now? They're actually coming back for Christmas?"

Gustav looked up at his friend's question, set the beer down in front of Georg and pulled his legs up on the couch after sitting down. He took a sip, nodding his head as he watched Georg wipe the foam off the rim of the glass and take a swig as well. "Yep. I talked to Bill earlier tonight and he assured me that the flight is booked. They'll arrive here in four days, and obviously, we're supposed to pick them up because Misters Kaulitz are too good to take a cab. I wouldn't mind picking them up but unfortunately, I don't have the time. You'll have to do it on your own, since Franzi's already sentenced _me_ to a long shopping trip with her. We still need something for my mother and it's the only day she has time to hit the stores. Pity me?" He made a face and gulped down more beer.

Georg nodded, a smile on his lips as he took another sip as well. "No problem. I can pick them up and we can all hang out together in the evening."

He paused. "I can't believe I actually miss them."

Gustav snorted. "I know. When you have them bouncing around every day, you think it's impossible to ever really miss them and just want to stuff them in a bag and mail them to Timbuktu, but when they're gone for a while, you realise that you actually miss their banter and silliness."

He shook his head and Georg had to agree. The twins _were_ a lot of work, and the fact that they always had to be the centre of attention did get annoying after a while. But now that they hadn't seen them for several months, he found himself honestly missing them. Both of them, but especially Tom.

He licked the beer's foam off his upper lip, ignoring that last thought. "So you'll have to give me the details about when to pick them up. Don't forget; you know how impatient Bill can be. You should probably give me the wrong time – like, twenty minutes early – since apparently, I'm always late."

He stuck his tongue out at Gustav, who laughed, then nodded. "I will."

"Good," Georg said, then took a breath. "But… shopping with Franziska? Poor you."

Gustav sighed heavily. "Definitely poor me – that girl is, if possible, even worse than Bill."

He paused, then had to laugh. "Wait, who am I kidding? No one is worse than Bill."

Georg snickered. Gustav was completely right; even Tom usually avoided shopping with Bill. And _that_ was saying something.

He was about to ask Gustav about his other plans for the holidays when Gustav spoke up. "Hey, so I've been thinking about having a bit of a party on Christmas Eve. At first, I considered a small get-together; just the four of us, but then I thought we could go bigger. We could reunite everyone – the whole team – _and_ it would be a sort-of housewarming party, since no one but you has seen my new flat yet. What do you think?"

Georg raised a brow. "A Christmas party? Sure, that sounds like a great idea. Do you think you're up to all that stress?"

Gustav shrugged. "I know it's going to be a lot of work, especially on short notice, but I think it could be cool. Besides, I have you to help me, don't I?"

He grinned, and Georg groaned. From the moment Gustav had mentioned this party, he should've known that _he_ would be the one to actually organise everything. Even if he said 'no' now, Gustav had his ways of getting him to do what he wanted.

Bastard.

"Sure," he finally sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing. Besides, he didn't actually mind helping Gustav and making sure the party was enjoyable. Because if Gustav did it all on his own, there would be no decorations, no decent food and no appropriate music. In fact, they would probably end up sitting around the table, listening to Metallica while drinking beer and eating pizza.

And while there was nothing wrong with that on an ordinary day, Christmas parties had to be a little more than that. So clearly, Georg would have to step in and make sure the party would be a success.

"Great!" Gustav gave him a wide, satisfied grin. "Then you'll take care of all the organisational stuff and tell me what I need to do. Thanks, Georg! You're the best."

Georg grunted, already making a mental list of everything he would have to do and buy in the next few days. Finally, he reached for a piece of paper and started jotting things down, knowing he'd end up forgetting the most important things if he didn't write them down the moment he thought of them.

Meanwhile, Gustav made more or less helpful suggestions. "Mistletoe! We definitely need mistletoe. I want there to be smooching."

Georg looked up, his expression incredulous. "You do realise how awkward that could get, right? Imagine having to kiss Jost or one of the bodyguards…"

Gustav snorted into his beer, then just grinned. "That would indeed be awkward but since I'll be the one to hang up the mistletoe, I'll know where it is and will be able to avoid getting into such uncomfortable positions. I will, however, be walking around, pointing out the mistletoe to all those unfortunate souls who happen to stop underneath it and will have great pleasure in watching them squirm around and making them kiss."

Georg shook his head, smirking as he wrote down a few more things. You'd never think that someone who looked as innocent as Gustav could have such an evil streak, but after having known him for more than ten years, Georg knew not to underestimate his friend.

When his list was complete, Georg leaned back, reaching for his beer again and resting his chin on his knee. "Do you have gifts for everyone except your mother then?" he asked with a look at Gustav who was picking invisible lint off his t-shirt.

"Yeah, pretty much," was the other boy's answer, and Georg raised his brow.

"Even for the twins?"

Gustav glanced up. "Well, yeah. I got Bill a Sephora gift card, and I found something really special for Tom."

He smirked, making Georg eye him suspiciously. "Oh yeah? And what would that be?"

Gustav grinned, then cracked up, which always worried Georg. "Gustaaav… what did you do?"

Gustav finally calmed down, taking a deep breath. "Well, do you remember that documentary we saw on Vox the other day? About prostitutes and sex toys and all that stuff?"

Georg nodded, expecting the worst. "Oh God, you didn't get him a dildo, did you? Tom will beat you upside the head with it."

Gustav laughed again, apparently very amused at the prospect of getting beaten with a penis replica, but shook his head in the end. "No. I got him a stay at that brothel they showed there. You know, the one that's like a huge, luxurious spa hotel? I think he's going to enjoy that."

Georg's brows shot up, impressed. He had to admit that Tom probably _would_ enjoy that, as much as Georg hated to admit it. The thought of Tom being in such a place, surrounded by more or less beautiful girls who would all want to fuck him…

He sighed, glancing back down at his list and trying to ignore the uncomfortable swirling sensation in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason, he didn't like that idea at all. Shaking his head and ignoring Gustav's questioning look, he finally looked back up and smiled. "That's a great gift. I'm sure he'll enjoy that."

"Of course he will! Sex is Tom's favourite hobby, and this should keep him satisfied for a while." Gustav nodded. "What about you? More Christmas shopping to do, or are you done?"

Georg shook his head. "No. Well, I'm almost done, but I don't have anything for the twins yet. I'm not sure what to get them, actually. I was going to get Bill some makeup as well, but recent photos of him make me suspect that he's not actually using all that much of it anymore. So maybe I'll get him a gift card at one of his favourite clothing stores instead. As for Tom…"

He trailed off, shrugging. He wanted to get Tom something special; something he'd wanted forever. But coming up with an actual idea proved to be more difficult than he'd initially expected. Besides, now he had Gustav's gift to compete with, and that wasn't going to be easy. He wasn't sure if anything even _could_ compete with multiple orgasms.

"I'll find something," he concluded finally, shrugging. "I just have to look a little more, I guess."

"Well, if you need help, let me know. I'm full of ideas," Gustav said with a grin, finishing his beer and getting up to get two more for them.

"Thanks – I might!" Georg called after him, then slid down on the couch, leaning his head back on the backrest and wondering what Tom was going to buy for him. Because if he knew that Tom would just buy him a CD, then the pressure would be off and he wouldn't have to worry so much about getting something special. Maybe he would have to ask Gustav to pump Tom for some information about his gifts – that way, planning something for Tom would be much easier.

Once again, he tried not to think about _why_ it was so hard to find something for Tom, of all people. He was still deeply in denial about his sudden and unexpected feelings for his best friend, and not quite ready to deal with them. He knew he would have to do that eventually, especially now that Tom was going to come back soon, but… not yet.

Gustav came back with two fresh beers, and Georg accepted his gratefully, agreeing to Gustav's suggestion to watch a movie. Anything that could get his mind off of Tom and his Christmas gift was more than welcome.

 

~°~°~°~°~°~


	3. eight days to christmas;

**eight days to christmas;**

"I can't believe you did that!"

"Why wouldn't I? It's not like it's on Christmas Eve, and I'll be back long before Christmas."

"You don't know that."

"Of course I do! The shoot's three days before Christmas, so I'll have ample time to get a plane back to Hamburg. Everything will be fine, Tom. Why the hell are you getting so upset over this?"

Tom glared at his brother, his expression stony. Bill had just informed him that some fancy photographer had invited him to Salzburg, Austria, for a photo shoot in the mountains for some fashion magazine Tom had never even heard of. The shoot was scheduled for the 22nd, and Bill had said 'yes' without even discussing his plans with Tom beforehand.

Tom wasn't sure what he was more upset about – that he would have to fly to Germany on his own while Bill was on his way to Austria, that Bill hadn't even thought to ask him how he felt about this before accepting the shoot _or_ the fact that Bill was risking spending Christmas without him for a fucking _photo shoot_ , of all things.

"Talk to me, Tom!"

"I'm just angry, okay?" Tom snapped back, looking up to glare at his brother. "You could've at least had the decency to discuss this with me. And why are you so excited about a stupid photo shoot all of a sudden? It's not like it's something we've never done before."

Bill sighed, looking at Tom patiently as he sat down across from him and leaned forward. He looked as if he was about to talk to a small child who was being very unreasonable and immature.

Fuck that. Tom knew he had every right to be upset about this.

"This is Rankin we're talking about," Bill said slowly. "Rankin isn't someone you say 'no' to. He's the most amazing photographer in the world – I'm not going to say 'no', just because you don't approve. Besides, it's been ages since we've posed for a camera and I really, really want to do this. So get used to it, because I'm going."

Tom's glare deepened and he stood up. "Fine. Do whatever the hell you want – but don't expect me to understand you."

He stormed out of the room and up the stairs, slamming his door as he entered his room. He threw himself onto the bed and rolled around, glaring up at the ceiling now that his primary target – Bill – wasn't around anymore.

It wasn't that he wasn't happy for Bill. He knew that Bill liked to model, and this sounded like a high fashion shoot, which would make Bill very happy. Even though Tom had no idea who this Rankin dude even was, he could tell that this was important to Bill, and that he couldn't have said 'no' if he'd tried. But still – the shoot was only a couple of days before Christmas, and a large number of things could go wrong, especially considering that the location was somewhere in the fucking Alps. Bill might not get a flight to Hamburg in time or he might get snowed in, and then they would have to spend Christmas apart.

They had never _not_ been together at Christmas, and the thought of not having Bill around for the holidays was something Tom didn't like at all. In fact, he hated the idea of not having his brother there when they unwrapped the presents or had their mother's amazing Christmas dinner.

But maybe he was being unreasonable. After all, the shoot wasn't on the 24th or 25th, and most likely, everything would go over as planned and Bill would be back before any of the Christmas celebrations even began. Maybe Tom was worrying for no reason, and he should apologise to Bill.

Ugh. He hated being wrong.

Not ready to admit that and apologise to Bill, Tom reached for his guitar and started playing a few chords of a new song he'd been working on for the past few days.

It made him think of Georg.

He wasn't even sure why, but something about the melody had something distinctly _Hagen_ about it, which really wasn't overly surprising, considering the other boy had been on his mind pretty much constantly lately.

As he continued to play, he finally managed to calm down and relax, thinking that maybe Christmas wouldn't even be completely terrible without Bill. After all, he would still have the rest of his family around, and Gustav, and Georg.

He wondered if Georg would like the song, as he put his guitar aside, getting ready to go back downstairs and apologise for his irrational behaviour. Maybe the song could be his gift for Georg – but even while thinking it, he knew that it wouldn't be enough. He wrote songs and played them to Georg all the time; the other boy wouldn't consider it anything special.

Sighing, Tom realised that he would just have to keep thinking and hoping he would find something before Christmas Eve. Pushing these extremely frustrating thoughts out of his mind for now, Tom made his way down the stairs to beg Bill for forgiveness for overreacting and basically, being an asshole.

Again.

 

~°~°~°~°~°~


	4. seven days to christmas;

**seven days to christmas;**

"Ornaments?"

"Check."

"Beer, wine, Coke–"

"Check, check, check, and big check." Georg looked up from the list and nodded. "I think we have everything – and more than enough booze. Now we just need to get a Christmas tree."

He pushed the shopping cart towards the checkout area while Gustav followed him.

"Hey! I already have a Christmas tree!" Gustav protested, hurrying to keep up with Georg.

Georg turned his head and gave him a look. "Really, Gustav. Your idea of a Christmas tree is that awful, small plastic thing sitting on your window sill? Seriously?"

Gustav narrowed his eyes. " _Yes_ ," he said pointedly, folding his arms as he got into the queue and waited. "Are you saying there's something wrong with my Christmas tree? It's not just some boring, lifeless tree – it has a face and a personality. It's fabulous! It even sings!"

"No need to remind me," sighed Georg, who hated that thing. It started singing and dancing whenever someone walked by, and didn't stop until the person in question left the room or stopped moving. To make things worse, Gustav had managed to break off the 'on/off' switch the other day and had glued the battery lid shut, making it impossible for anyone to shut the stupid thing up. "That's exactly what I'm saying. You can't expect people to feel comfortable and warm and Christmassy when there's not even an actual Christmas tree. Besides, that thing is fucking annoying, and I'm going to throw it out the window the first chance I get."

Gustav gasped. "You will do no such thing! I've had Ludwig for ages – I'm not going to let you just take him away."

Georg looked at his friend incredulously, then reached over to feel Gustav's forehead. "You _named_ that thing? And chose Ludwig, of all names?"

Gustav pulled away. "Yes! And you're not touching him or I'll… I'll… take all the strings out of your bass."

Georg raised a brow and eyed him. "Now that's a vicious threat," he said dryly, then shook his head and heaved a sigh. "You're insane. You must've had too much punch already."

Gustav opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it. He couldn't argue with that.

They had spent the morning trying out a recipe for a very special (and very spiked) Christmas punch. The bowl had been empty only fifteen minutes after they'd finished making the drink, which clearly indicated that it was the right choice for their amazing party.

Gustav sighed. "Just shut up. Are you sure we have everything? I'm not going shopping with you again. You're worse than Bill and Franzi combined!"

"Am not," Georg protested, rolling his eyes. "You're the one who wanted me to run your little Christmas event here, so stop complaining."

They had to put their little argument on hold as Georg started putting groceries and Christmas decorations onto the conveyor belt at checkout and Gustav packed the bags on the other side of the check register. After paying – and nearly fainting upon seeing the end price – Georg pushed the shopping cart towards his car.

"So all we need to get now is a tree and some mistletoe, right?"

Georg groaned. "I thought we had decided that mistletoe is not a good idea. I thought you were joking when you mentioned it!"

"Why would I be joking?" Gustav huffed. "You never take me seriously."

Georg sighed. "Stop pouting. It makes you look–"

"Oh, shut it," Gustav muttered. "It's _my_ party and I want mistletoe."

Georg rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. It's your party and I'm the one doing all the planning."

"No, you're not," Gustav said, a smug grin on his lips. "I give you helpful suggestions, such as… mistletoe!"

Georg sighed, and gave up.

If Gustav wanted mistletoe, he would get mistletoe. It might shut him up, so it was worth a try.

 

~°~°~°~°~°~


	5. six days to christmas;

**six days to christmas;**

"I still don't like that you're going to Austria on your own," Tom muttered after they'd gone through check-in and were waiting for their flights to board.

"Then come with me!" Bill said at once, sipping his coffee. "It's not too late to change your mind. You could come with me, make sure I don't get… raped or mugged, or whatever it is you're afraid is going to happen to me, and everything will be fine. It's Austria, Tom, not some third-world country with a 90% criminal rate."

Tom sighed. Bill's optimism was frustrating sometimes. "It's too late," he said softly. "I have my ticket to Hamburg, you have your tickets to Vienna and Salzburg and we've already checked in. Besides, both flights are sold out, so I can't just change my mind now. Also, you're the one who wanted to do this photo shoot, so being alone will be your punishment."

He paused. "Even though I don't like it, and it's probably more of a punishment for _me_ than it is for you. Damn."

Bill heaved a sigh and circled the rim of his coffee cup with a long, manicured finger. "Well, either way, I'll be fine. I don't need you looking out for me anymore, Tom. I'm not seventeen anymore. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Tom eyed him, raising a brow in doubt. "If you say so…"

"I do," Bill said, nodding enthusiastically.

He finished his coffee and tossed the cup into the trash, then sighed when boarding was announced for the priority guests of the Los Angeles – Vienna flight. "Call me when you get there, all right?"

Tom looked up when his brother got up, shouldered his bag and got ready to leave. He rose to his feet as well, then wrapped his arms around Bill for a long moment, hugging him. "Take care. And if you're not back when you're supposed to be, I'm going to kick your ass, all right?"

Bill smirked. "I'm counting on it. Bye, Tom. Give Georg and Gustav a hug from me, all right? And you have all the gifts, right? Didn't forget anything?"

Tom half-nodded, half-shook his head and murmured, "Bye, Bill," then sighed heavily as he watched Bill walk away and eventually, disappear. He sat back down on his seat, pulling his bags closer and resting his chin on his knee. He glanced at the watch; boarding for his own plane would begin in ten minutes, and then he had a more than 11 hour flight ahead of him.

Yay.

Smiling a little when he watched Bill's plane take off, he was soon consumed with worry for his brother and hoped he would be all right. He tried not to imagine the worst-case scenario, such as a terrible plane crash, but found his attempts to be quite fruitless. Worrying about Bill was just what he _did_ , and the three cups of coffee he'd had since that morning didn't help his edginess.

It wasn't until boarding for his own plane started, that he could finally take his mind off of Bill and focus on his destination – sweet, beautiful Hamburg.

 

~°~°~°~°~°~

Tom leaned back in his seat, kicking off his shoes and getting into a more or less comfortable position, one of Bill's sleeping masks on his forehead. He usually found it embarrassing when Bill – or anyone, for that matter – wore them, especially considering the fact that he and his twin rarely slept during flights. But he knew he would need it today. He would probably be bored out of his mind without Bill, Georg or Gustav there to entertain him. He really didn't envy people who had to fly alone all the time.

He sighed, waited for the plane to take off, then grabbed his headphones and checked the movies the plane had to offer. Some of them weren't bad, he had to admit, and the music selection was diverse and interesting.

They did have a Tokio Hotel album in their database, after all.

He finally chose to watch a movie, but quickly got bored and turned it off. Instead, he looked out of the window, but since there were only clouds and an entirely too-bright sky to look at, that didn't turn out to be terribly interesting either. He looked at the screen and finally found a quiz game that kept him entertained for a while. The fact that he was winning and kicking some of the other passengers' asses might have something to do with that.

Eventually, though, that ended up boring him as well, so he rolled onto his side and listened to his iPod, closing his eyes as he pulled the mask over his face. He sighed and tugged the soft blanket up to his chin, shivering a little at the cold temperatures on the plane.

In a mere few hours, he would finally see Georg again. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as a warm, swirly feeling spread in his belly. He really _had_ missed Georg, and his lame jokes, and his infectious laugh. Tom had a feeling that when he finally saw him, he would just hug him for about an hour, revelling in his friend's… Georg-ness.

He suddenly wondered if there would be a bunch of fangirls waiting for them at the airport. Technically, no one knew he was going to be there, but you never knew. Sometimes, information about their whereabouts leaked and there was nothing they could do about it. He really wasn't in the mood to sign autographs or take pictures with fans, but he knew he couldn't avoid it either. He _was_ Tom Kaulitz, after all, and that came with certain responsibilities.

Sighing heavily, he nestled into the small pillow the stewardess had given him, thinking more about Georg and hoping he would be the one to pick him up. When he closed his eyes and let sleep wash over him, he dreamed about Christmas in Germany, snow, and Hagen.


	6. five days to christmas;

**five days to christmas;**

Five minutes early, a hooded Georg made his way into the airport building, hands buried in his pockets. He was well aware that he probably looked extremely conspicuous and that the security guards were probably on alert and suspecting him of being a terrorist, but it was the only way for Georg to avoid fans recognising him.

And he knew from experience that fans tended to be _everywhere_.

He glanced up at the screen listing the arrivals, smiling when he saw that the plane coming from Los Angeles had landed a few minutes ago, which meant that Bill and Tom had to appear any minute now, assuming their luggage hadn't gone missing. He leaned against a wall, watching the door while his heart picked up its pace a little and his palms turned sweaty.

It wasn't that he was worried that things between them had changed after spending such a long time apart. It wasn't the first time that they hadn't seen each other for months.

No, Georg was more worried about what he might do when he saw Tom. He knew that his first instinct would be to pull the other boy into a tight hug, and hold onto him for a good long while, but he wasn't sure if that was welcomed, especially in public.

Tom was usually a bit reserved after a long period of separation, and Georg didn't want to risk making him feel uncomfortable. So whether he liked it or not, he would try to suppress his urges and go for a handshake instead.

Which was silly. They hugged each other all the time; a handshake would be much too formal and probably way more awkward than any hug could ever be. Then Tom would be creeped out and wondering what he'd done wrong and if Georg was possibly mad at him, and that wasn't what Georg wanted either.

All he could hope for was for Bill to break the ice and take things into his elegant, manicured hands.

Sighing, he tried to stop worrying, and went back to watching the door.

His heart skipped a beat when it opened and a swarm of people came out, immediately rushing towards their relatives and loved ones; hugging, kissing, reconnecting. Georg pushed himself off the wall and took a few steps closer, eyes scanning the crowd for familiar faces.

He frowned when the group of people walking through the door thinned out, and there was no trace of Bill or Tom. Had they taken another exit to avoid fans? But no, they would've told him about it if that were the case. Right?

Still staring at the door, Georg didn't notice that he was approached from the side, and jumped a little when someone touched his shoulder. He whirled around and blinked for a moment before a huge grin split his face.

"Tom!"

Forgetting all about the previously planned handshake, Georg wrapped his arms around Tom's slender but surprisingly muscled form and hugged him so fiercely that he ended up lifting his friend off the floor, which, considering Tom's impressive height, was no small feat. When he finally set him down and drew back, both their cheeks were flushed.

"Sorry," Georg laughed. "I guess I missed you."

Tom returned the smile with a smirk. "I missed you too, dude. It's good to see you."

Georg grinned. "Definitely."

For a long moment, he lost himself in Tom's deep brown eyes, taking in his friend's appearance.

Tom looked _good_ – beyond good. The Californian sun had given him a nice tan and he had obviously been working out. He seemed broader, more masculine than when Georg had last seen him, and the slight scruff on his chin was kind of sexy.

Blinking and trying to ignore the rush of feelings washing over him, Georg took a breath, then looked around with a frown. "Wait – where's Bill?"

He eyed Tom. "You didn't leave him on the plane and sent him back to the U.S., did you?"

Tom snorted but shook his head. "As tempting as that sounds… Nah. Bill had a thing to take care of first."

Georg frowned curiously and Tom sighed. "A photo shoot in Salzburg with some famous fashion photographer or something. I don't even know. He sprang this on me a couple of days ago. And you know Bill – I couldn't really argue because he'd made up his mind. So he won't get here until like, a day before Christmas."

"Oh," Georg said, his brows shooting up in surprise. "Okay. I had no idea."

Tom rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I told Bill to call you but he must've forgotten. You know how he can be. He probably already saw his face on the cover of some magazine and forgot about everything else."

Georg chuckled, giving him a grin. "Yeah, probably."

There was a moment of more or less awkward silence before Georg reached for one of Tom's suitcases, picking it up easily.

"Shall we?"

At Tom's nod, Georg gave him another smile before they made their way to his car. A feeling of great relief spread through Georg's body as he inhaled a lungful of cold air and glanced over at his friend. Things had been far less weird than Georg had expected, and even without Bill, their reunion had been warm and heartfelt. Georg could tell that Tom had missed him just as much as he had missed Tom, and that alone made his stomach flip a little. Everything related to Tom seemed to have that effect on him lately.

"So," he said when they were finally seated, car and heater turned on. "Where am I taking you? Your parents', a hotel, my place? The guest room is ready for you, but I'd understand if you wanted to visit your mum first."

Tom seemed to contemplate it for a moment. "No, I think I'll sleep at your place, if you don't mind. I'm kind of tired and jetlagged and just want some peace and quiet before dealing with mum and Gordon."

Georg nodded. "Sure. I don't mind at all."

He smiled. "Like I said – it's good to have you back."

Tom glanced over at him, a small smile playing on his lips. "It's good to _be_ back."

 

~°~°~°~°~°~

It was undeniable now.

Georg had to face his feelings, whether he wanted to or not.

He had a crush on Tom. He had been suspecting that might be the case for a while, but now that Tom was here, it was more obvious than ever before.

He was standing by the door to the guestroom, and watching Tom sleep.

 _Watching. Him. Sleep._

Probably with a really sappy expression on his face, too.

Oh God.

Finally managing to take his eyes off the younger boy's curled-up form, Georg closed the door silently and made his way into the den, lowering himself onto the couch and taking a deep breath, not sure what to do.

He knew that Tom was happy to be there, but had no way of telling whether Tom had felt the same sparks as Georg when they'd seen each other at the airport. And telling Tom he was in love with him might be a terrible idea – especially when Christmas was just around the corner. It might scare Tom off; freak him out and make him move out and go back to Los Angeles.

No, Christmas was definitely not the right time to tell him. Maybe afterwards.

Sighing heavily, Georg wondered how this could've happened, and especially, how he hadn't noticed it before. The realisation, just like the actual process of falling in love, had happened gradually over the years, he knew. It hadn't been love at first sight, maybe, but his feelings for Tom had started to grow pretty early on. The more time they'd spent together, the stronger his feelings had become, and now he'd definitely reached the point where he couldn't deny the emotions Tom provoked in him any longer.

He was in love. And there was nothing he could do about it – and he didn't want to change his feelings, even if he could. He hadn't been in love for a long time, and it actually felt nice to have these feelings for someone again, even if he wasn't sure what to do about it. He couldn't ignore it but he couldn't tell Tom either, which left him in a really shitty place.

Spotting the phone on the coffee table, Georg realised that maybe a talk with Gustav would help. But then he remembered that Gustav was busy shopping with his sister. So it had to wait.

Dammit.

 

~°~°~°~°~°~


	7. four days to christmas;

**four days to christmas;**

"I still don't have a present for Georg and I'm running out of time!"

" _Well, hello Bill_ ," said Bill's voice on the other end of the line with an exaggerated, fake Austrian accent. " _Nice to hear from you. How are you? How was your flight? I really miss you, that's why I'm calling._ "

Tom rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, Bill."

Realising that his brother was probably right and that he had been terribly rude, he sighed. "I actually do miss you," he admitted. "How's Salzburg then?"

" _Gorgeous_ ," Bill said dreamily. " _I haven't really seen the city yet, except on my way from the airport to the hotel, but it's pretty. Yesterday, I spent a few hours in bed, then had a lovely dinner, and went back to bed. Then I had a meeting with Rankin who's an incredibly nice guy, and he told me about his ideas for the shoot. Should be cool. The flight was terribly boring without you, though. Never again._ "

Tom had to smile; relieved that he apparently wasn't the only one who'd found flying without Bill boring and unenjoyable.

Bill continued. " _How was your day? How are Georg and Gustav? And you still haven't found a gift? Dude, it's about time_ ," Bill continued.

"I know," Tom sighed heavily. "I just can't find anything. But Georg and Gustav are great. They're actually planning a party for Christmas Eve, which should be fun. Obviously, you're invited too."

He smirked, then continued. "But… yeah. Things are great. It's good to be back home – even though I'm technically at Georg's place, not with mum and Gordon. But I talked to them on the phone and I'm going to visit them tonight. And yeah, I'll give them a hug from you, promise."

Tom could feel Bill smiling through the phone, and smiled as well. Then he bit his lip and went back to the topic at hand. "I know I said I would find something for Georg," he said softly, "but I really have no idea, so I may need your help, Bill. Georg is just… I just want something good for him this year, you know? So do you have any ideas?"

" _Relax, Tom_ ," Bill said on the other end of the line. " _I've found something he'll absolutely love. It's in the suitcase you took with you – the green gift bag. Just give it to him – he'll love it and will think it's from you._ "

Tom's brows shot up and he bit his lip. "But I can't do that. I can't give him your present, Bill."

He moved over to the suitcase, putting the phone between his ear and his shoulder to rummage through the bag in question. He found the green gift bag, which was only slightly rumpled, and peeked inside, sighing when the gift inside was wrapped, making it impossible for him to guess what was in the package.

"What is it?" he asked hesitantly, not sure if he could trust Bill's taste when it came to gifts for Georg.

" _A hairbrush._ "

Before Tom could open his mouth and freak out, Bill laughed. " _Relax. I'm kidding. It's a watch. The one you said he mentioned to you a while ago, remember? It's one of a kind, hideously expensive and a very thoughtful gift. See? He'll love it._ "

Relieved, Tom leaned back, stroking the soft paper of the bag. Bill was right – that _was_ a good present. And special and thoughtful, and maybe he wouldn't feel too guilty when he claimed it was _his_ gift for Georg, not Bill's. After all, he _had_ wanted to buy this for his friend, even though he'd forgotten about it.

"Thank you," he said after a moment. "I'm still gonna look around and see if I can find something, but if I don't… this will definitely do. So thanks, Bill. You may have saved my life."

Bill snorted. " _You're so dramatic, Tomi_ ," he said cheerfully.

There was some rustling on Bill's end. " _Oh, unfortunately I have to go, though. I have dinner reservations, so I'll see you in a few days, all right? Wish me luck for the shoot tomorrow!_ "

"Luck," Tom said, and meant it. Even though he hadn't been pleased at the prospect of losing Bill to Rankin at first, he couldn't help wishing that Bill had a good time.

They hung up and Tom leaned back, the small green bag in his hands. He hoped Georg would like his new watch and that he hadn't bought it himself in the meantime.

 

~°~°~°~°~°~

"Tom? Tom, are you home?"

Tom blinked and sat up, looking around in confusion. He was still on his bed with the green gift bag on his lap; he must've fallen asleep after talking to Bill. So the person calling for him obviously had to be Georg. He quickly hid the other boy's present, then got to his feet, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he left the room.

"Oh, sorry. Did I wake you up?" Georg asked, an unreadable expression on his face. Tom eyed him for a moment, then nodded.

"T's okay, though," he murmured, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "What's up?"

He paused, then his eyes widened and he looked around for a clock, relaxing a little when he saw that he wasn't late for dinner at his parents' just yet. "I'm having dinner with mum and Gordon tonight," he explained when Georg looked at him questioningly. "I must've fallen asleep earlier and thought I might be late."

He paused. "So, what's up? You didn't make plans for us tonight, did you? I should've told you _I_ have plans – sorry."

Georg smiled and shook his head. "No, it's fine, really. Nothing's up," he said with a sheepish smile, shrugging. "I just got back from Gustav's and just… wanted to see you."

Tom raised a brow when Georg blushed, then felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Is that so?"

Georg shrugged but grinned. "I guess now that I have you back here, I'd like to spend as much time as possible in your unforgettable presence."

Tom smirked. "Ha! I always knew you couldn't live without me. You're so in love with me."

At that, Georg's flush deepened and he looked away. A moment later, he gave Tom a small, awkward smile and made his way into the kitchen, leaving Tom to stare after him, a little dumbfounded.

What the hell was _that_?

Clueless, Tom shook his head and followed Georg into the kitchen. He watched his friend, trying to figure out why Georg was suddenly acting so weird around him. He didn't have the time to come to a conclusion, though, because only a few minutes later, he had to get ready and go to his parents'. He offered to take Georg, pointing out that his parents loved him just as much as they loved him and Bill, but his friend declined gratefully, claiming he did have plans for tonight after all.

On his way to his parents' house, Tom couldn't help wondering what kind of plans Georg had, and if he was possibly seeing someone. He had broken up with his girlfriend a few months ago, but that didn't mean there wasn't someone else in the picture.

For reasons that were becoming increasingly clear to him, that thought bothered Tom more than he cared to admit…

 

~°~°~°~°~°~


	8. three days to christmas;

**three days to christmas;**

"Jingle Bells? Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree? _Last Christmas_?!"

Tom looked up from the CD's tracklist he held in his hands, and eyed his friends incredulously. "What kind of a lame party is _this_ gonna be?"

Gustav cheered while Georg frowned, and Tom blushed. Aahh. Clearly the music had been Georg's idea. He hated it when this happened; when his big mouth unconsciously insulted Georg of all people.

"That's what I've been telling him all along!" Gustav said cheerfully. "Christmas music at a Christmas party is lame. But nooo, Hagen wouldn't listen to me. Maybe you'll be able to knock some sense into him.

"What's wrong with Christmas songs?" Georg asked, folding his arms over his chest and frowning. "It _is_ a Christmas party. Shouldn't there be Christmas songs?"

Tom shrugged, looking back down at the CD. "Nothing's wrong with them. It's just not really party music, you know? You should add at least a few more normal songs – and some Tokio Hotel."

He glanced back at Georg, giving him a tentative grin, but Georg just rolled his eyes. "Be serious."

"I am!" Tom exclaimed, sighing as he put the CD back down. "This is a party, Georg. There's going to be a bunch of people who're gonna want to dance. Not me, but people like, say, Bill will want to do weird, perverse monkey dances and that doesn't really work with the playlist you have here. And, I mean, seriously? _Last Christmas_? Could it get any worse? Unless your guest list consists entirely of Christmas elves and Santa Clause, there have to be at least a few rock and pop songs that people can actually dance to, and some ballads as well."

Georg sighed, and Tom shrugged. "I'm sorry. It's just the truth."

"Fine," Georg said finally, the pout leaving when he accepted that Tom and Gustav were right and he'd overdone it with the Christmas songs. "You take over the music, then. I have enough to do as it is, since Mr. Grinch here refuses to help."

"Hey, I'm-"

Gustav's protests were interrupted by Tom. "I can help, sure," he offered, relieved that Georg wasn't mad at him for pointing out that the music the latter had chosen clearly sucked. "Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it."

He flushed without even meaning to; he'd been making unconscious suggestions like that ever since he'd gotten here and couldn't seem to turn it off. Georg gave him an odd look while Gustav smirked, and Tom quickly changed the subject.

"So, what else is there to do?"

They discussed the party for a few minutes and Georg listed all the things that still needed to be done. Gustav protested for a while, but eventually, Tom and Georg managed to convince him that this was _his_ party and that he was expected to help a little too.

When their plans for the next day were made – plans that included more shopping, decorating and food preparing – they made their way to the kitchen, hunting for something edible for their movie night. Realising that the fridge only contained things they would need for their party, Georg suggested frozen pizza and was greeted with agreements from his friends. Then he left to get the pizzas, leaving Tom and Gustav behind.

Immediately, Gustav nudged Tom, giving him a wide smirk. "So, what was that before?"

"What do you mean?" Tom asked absently, ignoring Gustav's grin and raised eyebrow.

"What do I mean? You and Georg, of course! That suggestion you made before was pretty obvious. You'll do anything he needs you to do? Please, Tom. Besides, you've been eyeing him like a lovesick puppy ever since you got here."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Tom muttered. He was in denial, yes, and he liked it there.

But of course, Gustav didn't give up. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You have a crush on Georg."

Tom's head shot up and he glared. "Do not."

"Do too."

"Do NOT!"

Gustav rolled his eyes. "You know that the more you deny it, the more obvious it gets? Not that I ever had any doubts about it in the first place. You're _that_ obvious. The only reason Georg doesn't know it yet is that he completely clueless and oblivious. Maybe I should tell him–"

"Don't you dare," Tom hissed, turning towards his "friend" and narrowing his eyes. "You won't tell him anything or I'll…"

"You'll?" Gustav raised a brow. "What, throw away my Metallica CDs, burn my flat down? By all means, go ahead. I couldn't care less."

Tom frowned, realising that threatening Gustav was once again not a good idea and clearly not working. His friends knew that most of the things Tom could come up with were idle threats he wouldn't go through with. No, Tom had to try a different approach with Gustav. He hated to admit it but there was really only one thing that worked, and it was terribly humiliating, but the fact that Gustav was definitely capable of just going up to Georg and telling him Tom was in love with him, he didn't have a choice.

He had to beg.

Begging always worked.

Sighing heavily, he bit his lip and looked at Gustav with big brown eyes. "Please," he whispered. "Don't tell him. I'll tell him myself – if I want to. If I think it's something that's worth telling him. But please, Gustav, just don't. He shouldn't hear it from you, all right?"

Gustav eyed him for a long moment, the silence stretching. Before he could answer or react, they were interrupted when Georg re-entered the room. "So, I have tuna, pepperoni and Hawaii, but I'm–"

He stopped, blinking when he saw Tom and Gustav standing rather close together, and studied them. "Okay… did I interrupt something?"

Tom flushed deeply and immediately moved away from Gustav.

Gustav, on the other hand, looked up and grinned. "Why yes, you are. Tom and I were just about to make passionate love on the kitchen island. But don't worry about it – we can do it later. Or maybe we can include you!"

Tom felt his face heat up and he wanted to smack Gustav upside the head. Trust him to make an already awkward situation even worse. Georg raised his brows at the drummer's statement, then had to snort. "Nice, Gustav. I almost believed you."

He grinned, then slid the pizzas into the oven and turned it on. "Well, whatever you're gonna do," he said, "hurry up – I'd like to actually get a couple of movies watched tonight."

He eyed them again, then left the kitchen.

Tom let out a breath of relief, glad that Georg hadn't chosen to come into the room about half a minute earlier. Then he would've heard their whole exchange and would suspect that Tom may or may not have a tiny little crush on him. And that would've been awful.

When Georg was gone, Gustav leaned in and smiled sweetly at Tom. "You have until Christmas Day. If you don't tell him by then, I will."

Tom stared after him as the other boy made to leave the room, and sighed in frustration. "That's blackmail, Gustav. Classy. Why are you doing this to me?"

Gustav stopped and turned around, looking thoughtful for a moment. Then he leaned over the counter and looked at him seriously. "You guys are my best friends. You've both been pining for each other for months; maybe even years. I can't stand to see you dance around each other like that without ever doing something about your feelings for each other. I just want you two to finally admit it, be happy and get the fuck over this unfounded shyness. Seriously, the unresolved sexual tension between the two of you is killing everyone around you. So… just jump over your shadow and _tell_ him. He deserves to know."

Then he turned around and left the room to go back to Georg, while Tom stood there, confused.

Had Gustav just hinted at the fact that Georg might be returning his feelings?

A flutter spread through his body and he swallowed hard. Ever since he'd realised that his feelings for Georg were changing, it hadn't once occurred to him that Georg might be returning them. And he probably didn't, even though Gustav seemed to be sure he did. But how did Gustav know?

It had to be a mistake. It couldn't be true. Georg liked women.

But then again… so did Tom.

Technically.

 

~°~°~°~°~°~


	9. two days to christmas;

**two days to christmas;**

Georg was off buying food with Gustav while Tom had gotten started on decorating Gustav's flat and the Christmas tree. When the tree was done and some garlands hung up around the flat, Tom looked around with a satisfied smile.

Damn, he was good at this. If he hadn't chosen to become a rockstar, he could've made a career in interior décor.

He was about to continue when his phone rang, and a smile appeared on his lips when he saw that it was Bill. His brother had to be done packing now, as his flight left early the next morning.

"Hey you," Tom said when he picked up, reaching for his beer and flopping down on Gustav's extremely comfortable couch. He leaned back and sighed happily. "How was the shoot?"

" _Amazing_ ," Bill said, his voice dreamy. " _We were on a mountain in the snow, and I was wearing these gorgeous outfits, and my makeup was so pretty! You'll love the pictures, seriously. I looked like the snow queen._ "

Tom snorted. "Nice." Then his smirk softened into a smile. "I'm glad you had fun, Bill. Can't wait to have you back, though; I won't lie."

Bill cleared his throat on the other end of the line. " _Yeah, well, about that…_ "

Tom frowned, sitting up immediately. "About what?"

" _Coming back_ ," Bill replied, and Tom could tell from the tone of Bill's voice that his brother was about to say something he wouldn't like. At all. " _We're, uh, kind of snowed in here? And there's a snow storm coming tonight that won't stop till late tomorrow, apparently, so, uh… all the flights have been cancelled._ "

Tom's heart sank and he stared at the brightly lit Christmas tree across the room, trying to process what Bill was telling him. "You're kidding, right?"

" _I'm not, Tomi_ ," Bill said softly, sighing. He at least had the decency to sound miserable. " _I hate it as much as you do, trust me, but I'm stuck here. I could try to drive back, but that could take ages with all the snow here – and I don't drive well in snow, and I don't have a car anyway. I'm so, so,_ so _sorry, Tomi. I should've listened to you, I know, and if you're mad at me, I can't blame you. I know this sucks hugely, but I can't change it._ "

Tom closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "For fuck's sake, Bill," he murmured, shaking his head. "I should've known this wouldn't work out. I _told_ you!"

" _I know_ ," Bill whined. " _And I told you I'm sorry. But there's not really a point in arguing now because… well, we can't change it. Trust me, I'm probably regretting this more than you are. I'm the one who's stuck in another country with no friends and family. At least you get to go to Gustav's party that I was_ so _looking forward to, and I'm just gonna sit here and celebrate on my own._ "

Tom immediately felt bad, even though this was what he'd been telling Bill in the first place. He wasn't worried about himself – he would be all right. He had Georg, Gustav, their friends, their family. Bill had no one. He was all alone.

"Billi…"

" _I know, Tom_ ," Bill murmured. " _This really sucks. I guess I could try to come back–_ "

"Don't," Tom said, shaking his head. "I don't want you to drive alone, if there's so much snow. You stay there, and… let's just hope that they're wrong and that you'll be able to get your plane after all. And if you don't, I'll call you tomorrow night, and it'll be like you're at the party after all. Okay?"

Bill took a breath. " _Okay. Promise?_ "

Tom nodded. "I promise."

He got up and walked to the window, glancing up at the already-dark sky as the snowflakes began to fall. He wondered if Georg and Gustav were all right; they had left a while ago, and it was beginning to get dark while the snowfall was getting stronger…

He bit his lip and hesitated. He closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed his forehead, then finally took a breath and told Bill. "I think I have a crush on Georg."

There was a pause on the other end of the line; then Bill said, in a bored voice, " _And what else is new?_ "

Tom frowned. "What do you mean?"

" _I mean that I know. I've known for a long time. Don't tell me you only just realised it? That thing between the two of you has been building up for years, Tom. Even you can't be that unobservant._ "

Tom blinked, stunned, then made his way into the living room where he fumbled for a cigarette and lit it, inhaling almost desperately.

So everyone knew. Gustav knew, Bill knew… did Georg know? If he did, he would've mentioned it to Tom, wouldn't he? Or maybe he didn't know that Tom had feelings for him but suspected something anyhow?

He sighed, even more confused than before. "How long have you known?"

" _A while_ ," Bill admitted. " _I'm not sure if Georg knows but I am pretty sure that he returns your feelings. So do all of us a favour, Tom, and just tell him already. At least then you'll know, and you'll be able to move on – if he doesn't want you as much as you want him, that is. I don't think that's the case, though, so it could also be that the two of you kiss and live happily ever after._ "

Tom's heart skipped a beat at that prospect. What if Bill was right? What if Georg did want him? What if they could already have been together for years, and only their cluelessness and hesitance had kept them apart? A sappy image of the two of them throwing their arms around each other and kissing passionately popped up in his head, and he felt his cheeks colour with embarrassment.

Jesus. He was turning into a girl.

"But, why are you telling me this now? Do you think now would be a good time to tell him? I don't want to ruin Christmas for him…" Tom nibbled on his bottom lip.

" _You won't_ ," Bill sighed heavily. Tom heard the switch of the lighter and Bill's deep intake of breath. " _Georg wants you, trust me. I don't know why he'd want you rather than me, but he does. So just get over yourself and tell him. You won't regret it. And if he doesn't want you and you do embarrass yourself, it's out there, at least, and you'll be able to move on. And if I'm really wrong and he doesn't return your feelings, you'll be allowed to kick my ass. Or alternatively, you could kick Gustav's ass instead; his is a little bigger and bouncier, not as bony as mine._ "

Tom snorted at the idea of kicking Bill's bony ass, then focused back on the matter at hand. He proceeded to ask Bill questions about how to tell Georg, what to say, what words to use and when to do it until Bill groaned in frustration and hung up on him. Tom called him back, apologised, and eventually, they said goodbye, promising to talk the next day.

Then, Tom sat down on the couch and thought.

He felt like he was about to take a really important exam; that nervous swirling sensation you always got in your belly when you were nervous or excited? That was how he felt. He still wasn't sure Georg would actually want him, but now _two_ people had made it clear that he had to tell Georg.

And he would… probably.

 

~°~°~°~°~°~


	10. christmas eve;

**christmas eve;**

It was odd to be at a Christmas party and not have Bill around. Bill was _always_ around and hard to overlook. He towered over pretty much everyone else in the room, was loud, sometimes obnoxious and always the centre of attention. He danced, he drank, he ate, he laughed; he made every party a success.

Of course this party didn't exactly suck either, even without Bill. Tom had to admit that. He was also sure that it was his music that gave Gustav's Christmas party the little something it had been missing before. People were eating, talking, _dancing_ and having fun.

Georg and Gustav were busy with a few last-minute preparations in the kitchen, and Tom had offered to help them which the other two had accepted gratefully. When Tom had, however, accidentally run into a platter with finger-food and kicked it off the counter, he'd been banned from the kitchen by a very stressed-out Georg. Gustav, who had already been at the punch, had found that hilariously amusing and had had to point out the fact that usually Georg was the one who was clumsy. It wasn't even a joke with an actual punch line, but Gustav had still started giggling like it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

Tom had rolled his eyes and left the room, but not without giving Georg one last look, hoping he wasn't too mad at him.

Tom was just a little on edge. He couldn't change it. Bill wasn't here, and for some reason, he hadn't quite reached his party mood yet. After trying to have fun without Georg and Gustav for a few minutes, he finally made his way outside onto the balcony and lit a cigarette, pulling out his phone and dialling Bill's number.

He expected to hear silence in the background when Bill picked up, but was wrong. There was loud music, people talking; Bill obviously wasn't quite as lonely as Tom had thought he'd be.

" _Tomiiii! How's the party? Is it cool? Am I missing the party of the year? Are you drunk yet? How's Georg? Have you told him yet? Are you all right? Why can't I hear any music on your end; did you not go to the party?!_ "

Tom blinked, then sighed heavily, taking a deep drag off his cigarette as he got ready to answer his brother's questions before Bill realised that he wasn't even interested in having them answered at all.

"The party is great, everyone's having fun, and you should be here, yes. But as far as I can tell, you're not sitting alone in your hotel room either, so I guess it's all good. I'm not drunk yet, but I'm planning on getting started soon, and no, I haven't told Georg yet. I _am_ at the party, and you can't hear the music because that crappy song that's playing wherever _you_ are, is so loud, god dammit."

Bill snickered, and then his voice was muffled for a moment, making it obvious that he was talking to someone who wasn't Tom. Tom tried to listen but couldn't tell who Bill was talking to, and in a moment of inexplicable anger, he hung up on his brother and sat down, glaring at the dark sky.

His phone rang again a moment later. " _Hey, our connection must've disappeared for a moment_ ," Bill said, clearly unaware that Tom had hung up on him because Bill was incredibly rude and talking to someone while on the phone with him. " _So you haven't told him yet? Dude, it's about time. Don't wait too long – parties are excellent for picking up people, and you don't want Georg to leave with someone else tonight, right?_ "

Tom sighed heavily. "Yeah… whatever, Bill. I'll find the right moment."

 _Or not_ , he added inwardly. If he was completely honest with himself, he had to admit that the idea of just going up to Georg and kissing him scared the shit out of him. What if Georg was disgusted and never wanted to see him again? What if Bill and Gustav were wrong and he didn't want him? Or what if they were _right_ and Georg _did_ want him? Tom wasn't sure what terrified him more; getting rejected or actually starting a relationship with his best friend.

He bit his lip. "Georg looks cute. He has a green streak in his hair," he said without even meaning to. He flushed, then quickly added, "Gustav dyed a strand of his hair green while Georg was asleep on the couch. Georg freaked out when he saw it."

He took a breath.

"So you're having fun too, huh?" he asked, changing the subject. "Good. I wouldn't want you to sit around alone in your hotel room."

" _I'm not_ ," Bill said cheerfully. " _Is it so bad that I'm not there then?_ "

Tom shrugged, taking a drag. "Kind of. I miss you. It would be much better if you _were_ here."

" _Aww_ ," Bill said, the smile audible in his voice. " _But I'm not, so you might as well just go and have fun without me, all right? Seriously, Tom, I'm going to ask Georg and Gustav later, and if they don't confirm that you're having the time of your life, I'm going to have to kick your butt… with my ten centimetre heel._ "

Tom rolled his eyes but had to grin; he didn't want to be one of those unfortunate people who managed to piss off Bill enough to deserve that fate. So he sighed heavily and let Bill's optimism infect him. "All right, all right. I'll try. It's kind of hard to do that, though, while trying to avoid Gustav's mistletoe. He hung it up everywhere, can you believe him?"

Bill snickered. " _Mistletoe's fun. Maybe you'll end up kissing someone great. Actually, mistletoe could make it really easy for you to kiss Georg. You just have to be in the right place at the right time. So just relax and go have fun. Now, I'm hanging up on you. Bye!_ "

Tom sighed, but had to agree that Bill had a point. Maybe he should just try to have fun; the fact that Bill wasn't here wasn't the end of the world, after all. And that was what he told him before he hung up and rejoined the party.

 

~°~°~°~°~°~

Finally, Georg and Gustav were done with the preparations and Georg watched in amusement as Gustav started dancing. He didn't do that very often, but when he did, everyone watched him. Not because he was a stunningly amazing dancer; quite the opposite. He was terrible, but the fact that he wasn't ashamed of his dancing skills was what everyone liked about it.

Georg sipped some punch and looked around for Tom. He knew that the other boy was having a hard time without Bill here, and hoped he wasn't suffering too badly. His eyebrows shot up when he spotted the younger boy, and snorted. Tom was standing close to the DJ, apparently listening to the music while he looked slightly lost in his own world. A smile appeared on Georg's lips as he watched him, then he finally decided to make his way over to Tom.

When Tom noticed his presence, he grinned. "Georg!" He raised his glass enthusiastically, managing to spill about half of its contents onto Gustav's rug. "Oops."

Georg grinned. "Tom! How many of those have you had, exactly?" he asked, meaning the punch.

Tom stared at the stain on the rug, rubbing it with his foot and trying to make it disappear – unsuccessfully – before looking up. "Hmm? Oh. Um… several. No idea. Stopped counting. But hiii! How are you? Enjoying the party? It's a good party. You should dance!"

Georg eyed Tom with an amused grin; he'd never seen him like this before. Maybe there was something in the punch that had this effect on Tom; it couldn't be just the booze because Tom could hold his liquor very well, usually.

"I should dance, huh?" he asked, glancing over at Gustav and shaking his head. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass. I'm not the best dancer, and considering that I'm worried about my dancing skills even when Gustav's around, it definitely means something. I'm terrible at it."

"I can't imagine that," Tom said, giving him a sweet smile that sent shivers up Georg's back. He ran a hand through his hair as he felt the heat work its way up his neck and into his cheeks.

While they'd been working in the kitchen, Gustav had had a serious word with him, and Georg still wasn't sure what to think of it. It had started rather innocently.

"Good thing Bill isn't here, right?" Gustav had said, placing another one of the snickerdoodles they'd been baking, onto the oven rack.

Georg had looked up. "Is it? Why?"

"Well, you'll have Tom all to yourself."

That had made Georg flush and he'd looked at his friend with wide eyes. "What?"

"Oh come on, Georg. You know it, I know it. You want Tom. And Tom wants you too. We're all just waiting for either one of you to make a move. There are bets on it, actually. My bet is on you, so take the first step and just get it over with."

They had been interrupted by Tom then, and had quickly changed the subject. But Georg had been left to think about what Gustav had said. His feelings for Tom had become increasingly obvious to him over the course of the last few days. But he'd only just begun to understand that he was in love with Tom; he wasn't sure if he was ready to tell him just yet. Because what if he was wrong, and it was just a passing crush that didn't mean anything? What if he ended up breaking Tom's heart? It would kill him to hurt Tom that much, so he wasn't sure what to do.

But Tom's approaches were beginning to make him see that maybe Gustav had been right. Maybe Tom _did_ have feelings for him. Or maybe he was just incredibly drunk. It was one of the two.

"Oh!" Tom said then, giving Georg another wide, white beam. "I have a present for you! Do you want it now or later? Please say now…"

Georg raised a brow at him but had to grin. "Now is all right," he said, knowing this slightly tipsy Tom wouldn't take 'later' for an answer. He blinked when his wrist was grabbed and he was dragged out of the room, away from the crowd and the partying people and into Gustav's bedroom where they'd stored the jackets and coats as well as some of the Christmas gifts.

Tom disappeared behind the bed and Georg sat down on it, pushing some of the items covering the bed out of the way. Then he smiled when Tom came back up and handed him a red gift bag. He eyed it for a moment, admiring the flawless packaging, then reached inside the bag and pulled out a long package. He studied it for a moment, then opened it, aware of Tom's eyes on him, following his every move. Tom was sitting right beside him, their arms pressed together lightly, and Tom's body heat went right through his thin t-shirt. Georg wanted to lean in, seek out more of that warmth and breathe in Tom's intoxicating smell, but the thought alone made his heart skip a beat and his belly swell nervously.

Not yet.

He unwrapped the gift eagerly, knowing Tom would hate it if he was too careful with the paper at a time like this, and frowned as he looked at a bottle of perfume called 'Simply Irresistible'.

It was pink.

He looked at it for a moment, then looked up at Tom who was suddenly pale and seemed sober. "Oh god, that's not for you!" he exclaimed.

Georg's brows shot up. "It isn't?" He let out a breath. "Thank god! I was scrambling for something to say, but I wasn't sure what."

He grinned, but Tom looked devastated and embarrassed, and at that moment, Georg just wanted to wrap his arms around him, pull him into a hug and tell him it was okay. So he did… sort of.

He put his hand on Tom's shoulder and gave him a smile. "I assume my gift is somewhere else?"

Tom frowned, then smacked his hand against his forehead. "It is! It's in the green gift bag, not the red one. God, I'm such an idiot."

"It's okay, Tom, seriously. You'll just give it to me later. I haven't brought yours here anyway, so… it's fine. Don't worry about it. We'll exchange gifts later."

He gave him a smile, and Tom finally smiled back. He glanced down at the perfume again and sniffed it, raising a brow. "Not bad, though," he said. "And it would be fitting."

Georg frowned and looked at him curiously, wondering what Tom could mean. Tom noticed and his cheeks coloured a little. "Well… you _are_ simply irresistible."

Georg's breath caught in his throat and he looked at Tom. That was the most obvious thing Tom could've said. Because it had to mean that he _did_ return his feelings, right? There was no doubt about it now. Georg licked his lips, not sure what to say.

Tom looked uncomfortable and averted his eyes, glancing up at the ceiling. Suddenly, he smiled. "Gustav…" he murmured, and at Georg's questioning look, he pointed up at the ceiling.

Georg lifted his head and almost groaned when he saw the mistletoe dangling above their heads.

So this was it. It had to be a sign. He'd wanted to kiss Tom anyway, but this meant that he would actually do it.

Taking his eyes off the mistletoe, he turned to Tom and looked at the other boy's lips instead… Those full, pink lips that he'd been longing to kiss for years, if he was entirely honest with himself. Tom's tongue darted out, wetting his lips and brushing the tip over his piercing. Georg wanted to lick it too.

He took a deep breath, meeting Tom's eyes for a moment before he leaned forward and pressed a soft, hesitant kiss against his lips, his whole body tensing at the feel of Tom's mouth against his own. He'd dreamed about this for so long, and the fact that he was finally doing it, and Tom was letting him, was more than he'd ever thought possible.

He slid his hand around the back of Tom's neck, not sure if he should take the kiss further or wait for Tom to do it, but in the end, he didn't have to make that decision because Tom made it for him. He pressed his lips harder against Georg's, kissing him fully as he parted his lips slightly. The tip of his tongue darted out, and Georg opened his own mouth, meeting Tom's tongue with his own.

They both moaned in unison as their tongues brushed and slid against each other, and Georg had to break the kiss already, to take a deep breath. His heart was racing, his stomach fluttering harder than ever before. He'd never felt anything he could compare to this. He leaned in again, capturing Tom's lips in another increasingly heated kiss that left both of them breathless.

When it broke, Georg pressed his forehead against Tom, knowing he would spend the rest of the night kissing Tom like this. Before he could get started on that, however, Tom had stood up and suddenly looked confused and maybe a little terrified. His cheeks flushed and he drew back abruptly, looking a little lost. Georg opened his mouth to say something, to reassure him, but Tom was faster. He jumped to his feet, stumbled his way to the door and gripped the handle almost desperately as he opened the door.

"I… I'm sorry. I have to go."

Then he'd left the room and Georg sat there on the bed beneath the mistletoe, knowing he had to have done something terribly wrong. He took a breath and ran a hand through his hair, wondering what that could be. He'd always considered himself a good kisser, but maybe he wasn't. Maybe he'd disgusted Tom in some way.

Did his breath smell bad?

He lifted his hand to his mouth and breathed on it while trying to breathe _in_ but it all smelled perfectly normal to him.

Georg had never felt this discouraged about anything before, ever. He considered just staying there, drowning himself in self-pity… But no, he wasn't going to let Tom escape that easily. Now that he'd finally kissed him, he wasn't going to just let him take off without getting an explanation.

He rose to his feet and left the room, looking for Tom.

 

~°~°~°~°~°~

"Tom! Tom, wait!"

But Tom didn't stop. He was rounding a corner when Georg finally caught up with him, grabbed him and pressed him against the wall of the building. Then Georg had to stop and catch his breath for a moment. Tom was breathing heavily too, and desperately trying to avoid Georg's eyes.

Finally, Georg reached for Tom's chin and tilted it up, looking up into his eyes. "Why on earth would you run away like that? Did I bite you?"

Tom flushed and shook his head, looking away again. Georg looked at him cluelessly when it occurred to him that maybe Gustav had been wrong. Maybe Tom didn't have feelings for him. But Tom _had_ returned the kiss – there was no doubt about that! But maybe he'd felt uncomfortable and had reacted automatically before realising what the hell he was doing and that was why he'd stopped and bolted.

Georg was about to say something when Tom seemed to finally find his voice as well, "I just… it's a lot, okay? I wasn't sure what to say, and… I kissed you, and–"

"Actually," Georg said, interrupting him. "I kissed _you_."

Tom searched his eyes, confusion obvious on his face. "You did?"

Georg nodded. "I did."

Tom furrowed his brow, biting his bottom lip hard. "Did you mean to? Or was it accidental? Because I'd totally understand if you–"

"It wasn't accidental," Georg laughed. "I meant it, definitely. I've been meaning to kiss you for a while, actually."

Tom's eyes widened. "You have?"

Georg nodded seriously. He watched Tom's face intently, smiling when the frown disappeared and the relief was clearly written across Tom's face. "And I'd like to do it again," he added carefully, quite but not entirely sure how Tom would react to that. When Tom's cheeks flushed again, either from the cold or the fact that he was suddenly inexplicably shy, Georg smiled and leaned in, the tip of his nose bumping into Tom's. "So can I?"

"I don't know if you _can_ but you _may_ ," Tom murmured, making Georg roll his eyes. He couldn't suppress a smile, though, and when he closed the distance between them slowly, his stomach fluttered intensely just before their lips brushed again.

Georg closed his eyes, shivering a little as a cold night breeze blew through his hair. He took a step closer to Tom, their bodies pressed together now, keeping each other warm. He cupped Tom's cheeks as he deepened the kiss, loving how pliant and unresisting Tom's lips were beneath his own. Tom responded to the kiss, not holding back, and Georg finally knew that Gustav _had_ been right. Tom really did want him.

That realisation made him shiver and he made a soft, content sound in his throat as he slid his tongue into Tom's mouth and kissed him harder.

They stood there like that for a long time, the freezing temperatures outside completely forgotten as they lost each other in the kiss. Nothing mattered; nothing except the two of them and that kiss.

Sometime later, Georg felt something wet and cold land on his cheek and he finally broke the kiss reluctantly to look up at the dark sky, a smile tugging at his lips when he realised it had begun to snow. When he looked back at Tom, he chuckled softly; a snowflake had landed right on the tip of Tom's nose. He touched Tom's cool, flushed cheek, then leaned forward and licked the snowflake off, laughing when Tom wrinkled his nose.

"Cute," he breathed, nestling into Tom and brushing his fingers over the back of the other boy's neck, rubbing lightly with the tips of his fingers. "Do you want to go home?"

Tom closed his eyes at the gentle touches and made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a purr. "I'd like that," he admitted. "But won't Gustav notice we're gone?"

Georg arched a brow, amused. "At this point? No. He's had more punch than both of us combined, so I don't think he'll notice anything until tomorrow morning. And the thing he'll notice first will be a killer headache to go along with his massive hangover."

Tom grinned, knowing Georg was right. He slid his hand down into Georg's, smiling when Georg rubbed his calloused thumb over the back of his hand as they walked back home, unable to resist sharing the one or other soft, warm kiss in the cold snow.

 

~°~°~°~°~°~

"Are you sure about this?"

Georg trailed his tongue down Tom's neck, licking up a stray drop of sweat. He breathed hotly against his neck, his cock pulsing against Tom's.

"Completely," Tom breathed back, arching up and giving them both that delicious friction their bodies were craving. Georg's hips jerked against Tom's of their own accord and a low moan escaped him. He pushed himself up on one arm, getting to his knees as he looked for the small tube of lube he'd retrieved earlier. As he squeezed some of it into his palm, he sat back a moment and admired the beautiful body spread out beneath him.

They had arrived back at his flat about an hour earlier. They'd barely taken their coats off when Georg had pinned Tom against the wall and started kissing him. They had only stopped briefly to start a fire in the fireplace. The moment it had been lit, Tom had pulled Georg down onto the rug in front of it, and kissed him again. Somewhere along the way, they'd lost their clothes and were now naked with Georg on top of Tom, their arousal undeniable.

Georg had thought about getting Tom into this position for a long time and a part of him still couldn't believe his dream was coming true. He touched Tom's hips with his free hand, traced the muscles with his fingertips and licked his lips unconsciously. The only light came from the fireplace, casting shadows over the room and Tom's magnificent body; enhancing his muscles. Georg sighed unconsciously; he knew he could – and would – spend long hours just looking at Tom's incredible body, and knew that he'd never get enough of it. Said body had been exposed for barely an hour and he was already addicted to every inch of it.

When Tom spread his legs, a gasp escaped Georg and he reached down to rub his slick fingers along Tom's crack, smiling at the shiver that ran through the other man. He leaned forward and licked a trail up Tom's cock, moaning in unison with Tom as he slid the first finger into him. It was immediately engulfed by tight heat, and it was the most incredible feeling in the world.

He watched Tom's face intently, looking for any sign of pain, but there weren't any. Tom was enjoying this just as much as he was. He bit his lip in concentration as he added a second finger, scissoring it with the first one to stretch Tom, and still moving very carefully to make sure he wasn't hurting him. Tom wasn't complaining, though, and Georg was relieved that he didn't seem to be completely hopeless at this.

He kissed Tom's lower stomach, following the soft trail of hair up to the other boy's navel with his lips. He dipped his tongue into Tom's bellybutton, grinning when it made Tom snicker. He started moving his fingers a little faster, thrusting, in and out; then finally pulled them out. He looked down at Tom who had an expression of complete and utter satisfaction on his face, and had to grin.

"Wow, I'm _that_ good?" he asked teasingly as he reached for a condom, pulled it on, then proceeded to slick his cock with the lube.

"Smartass," Tom sighed, rolling his eyes. "It's so like you to want compliments before you're even in there."

Georg laughed and shook his head. "I didn’t say I wanted compliments… constructive criticism, maybe."

Tom rolled his eyes but smiled up at him. After a moment, he bit his lip, his smile fading as he focused on the feel of the tip of Georg's cock pressed against his hole.

"Tell me if it hurts," Georg murmured, showering kisses over Tom's face and wiping the concerned expression off the other boy's face. He didn't wait any longer and slowly pushed in, letting out a startled gasp at the impossibly tight heat surrounding his erection.

He'd never felt anything like it.

Keeping his eyes on Tom's face, he pushed further until he was all the way in, then almost pulled out again when Tom let out a sharp hiss and his whole body arched up.

"Ohhh!"

Georg stopped moving instantly and frowned. "Good ohh or bad ohh?"

"Amazing oh!" Tom answered, his eyes wide. "Keep that angle. And move!"

Georg raised a brow. "Bossy."

Tom paused for a second or two, then added, "Please."

Georg smiled. "Well, if you're asking that nicely…"

Then he began to move, his whole body trembling with the effort it took not to just slam into Tom and to take things slowly instead. This was the first time for this kind of sex for both of them, and Georg wanted it to be just as unforgettable as the rest of their evening had been.

"Mmmhhh… ohhhh…" Tom started moaning the moment Georg began to move, and his sounds only became louder as Georg sped up. Sweat was dripping off both of them; both from the heat of their own bodies and the nearby fireplace. Georg belatedly realised that Tom might have rug burn the next morning, since they hadn't even managed to make it to the bed, but he doubted Tom would really care.

They moved in perfect sync for a long time, exchanging kisses; some slow and gentle, others sloppy and heated. It didn't take about half as much time as Georg had hoped, but at that moment, it didn't matter; he was close and could tell from the expression on Tom's face that he was too. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Tom's once more, muffling the other boy's moan with his mouth as he started to come, his whole body shaking before suddenly hot come splashed against Georg's belly and chest.

Georg followed only a moment later, locking his hips firmly with Tom's ass as he came as well, thrusting until he collapsed on top of Tom, panting heavily.

They lay there like that for a long time, both of them completely comfortable and unwilling to ever move again. Eventually, it was Tom who first opened his mouth to say something.

"Do you want your gift now?" he whispered, making Georg laugh and lift his head.

He looked down at Tom and smiled. "I thought this _was_ my gift. I thought _you_ were my gift. I'm not sure how you're planning to top this, but…"

Tom rolled his eyes but smiled, hand reaching up to wrap a strand of Georg's long, silky hair around his hand. "Well, you're not the only gift you got _me_ , are you?"

Georg shook his head. "Nope. I did find something else for you."

He smiled, then pushed himself up, carefully sliding out of Tom and tossing the condom away. He leaned back as he watched Tom get up and pad into his room, a smile tugging on his lips as he looked at Tom's cute little ass. He hoped Tom was planning to run around naked a lot from now on; it was the best view Georg had ever seen.

Eventually, he pushed himself up as well and went into his own room, coming back with the package for Tom.

He sat down across from him, tugging down the blanket and covering them both with it. Then he handed Tom his gift while Tom gave him his. He looked down at the small box and unwrapped it, his eyes widening when he saw the watch he'd been looking for forever.

"Wow, seriously? How did you… Is it a fake? I thought they didn't make these anymore!"

"They don't," Tom said with a smile; he'd done his research, even though he hadn't _technically_ been the one to buy the watch. "But I found one last one in some small shop in LA."

"You're amazing," Georg said, putting on his watch and smiling at Tom.

"Well – open yours!"

Tom licked his lips, then started unwrapping his own present, his eyes widening comically when he recognized the shape of the large package. "Oh no, you didn't!"

Georg grinned. "Hmm?"

When Tom opened the guitar box and saw a complete rarity inside, he let out an embarrassing squeak, making Georg's grin widen. "Do you like it?"

"I love it!" Tom exclaimed, taking the guitar out and immediately playing a few chords – the few first ones of Georg's song, actually. When he stopped, he looked up, meeting Georg's eyes and giving him a wide smile. "This is the best Christmas gift ever."

He paused. "Well, the second best. The best one is _you_ , obviously."

Then he bit his lip. "Now I feel bad for only getting you a watch…"

"Don't," Georg said, shaking his head, and helping Tom manoeuvre the guitar back into its case. "You already gave me the greatest gift on earth – the watch I've been wanting for ages is just a nice, amazing bonus."

Tom smiled when Georg crawled over to him, snuggled into him and kissed his lips. "Thank you."

Tom shook his head. "Thank _you_! You're already the best boyfriend I could ever imagine."

That made Georg's smile widen and he leaned in to kiss Tom again.

When they drew back, Georg gave him an Eskimo kiss and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Tom."

"Merry Christmas, Georg," Tom whispered, trailing kisses along Georg's collarbone. He nuzzled him and nipped on his earlobe, making Georg let out a moan and his body react instantly. Tom just had that effect on him; he wouldn't be able to change it if he tried.

So he took Tom to bed and made love to him again; which was, as far as they were both concerned, the most perfect way to spend Christmas.


	11. christmas day;

**christmas day;**

When Tom woke up the next morning, he felt weird and disoriented. He rubbed his forehead and sat up a little, then groaned and flopped back down on the pillow when his killer hangover made its presence known. He rolled over onto his side and pressed his face into the pillow, sliding a leg onto the other side of the bed, which made him pause.

Because the bed next to him wasn't empty, and his leg brushed someone else's.

Frowning, Tom moved his toes up the back of the other person's calf, frowning when he brushed soft, fuzzy hair.

Finally, he opened his eyes and sat up abruptly when he saw long, smooth brown hair with a single green streak in it. His heart jumped up to his throat and he took a shaky breath when the previous night came rushing back to him.

The party. The booze. The mistletoe. The walk. The kiss in the snow. The heated events that had happened after that kiss. Georg's smile before he'd fallen asleep.

Sucking in another sharp breath after the realisation that everything he'd thought he'd dreamed had actually happened, Tom sat up and carefully lifted the sheets, sliding out from under them. Naked, he padded to the bathroom and closed the door silently, closing his eyes and releasing the breath he didn't know he'd been holding when his bare back was pressed against the tall wooden door.

"I slept with Georg," he whispered to no one in particular, his whisper a harsh hiss in the silence of the bathroom. He groaned inwardly and sat down on the toilet, burying his face in his hands and wondering how awkward this was going to be. Last night, everything had seemed perfect, but now, he wasn't so sure anymore. What if something had changed? What if they could never be friends again, let along boyfriends?

Deciding that he needed to find out, Tom pulled on boxers and left the bathroom again, moving to the other side of the bed where Georg's leg stuck out from under the sheets and hung off the bed while he muttered something in his sleep. Tom looked down at him, admiring the other boy's features as he slept, looking peaceful like an angel.

Tom sighed happily and decided then that he couldn't wake up Georg; no matter how much he wanted to. He contemplated making breakfast for a moment, then decided against it and slid back under the covers, hesitantly lifting his hand to run his fingers through that incredibly soft, long hair. He moved a little closer to Georg and closed his eyes as he breathed in the faint coconut smell of said hair. It was mixed with the smell of booze, food and cigarette smoke, as well as something distinctly Christmassy.

Tom closed his eyes and just breathed in Georg's hair, his fingers idly braiding the long strands. He didn't even care how long he would be here like this, waiting for Georg to wake up, because at that moment, he was perfectly content.

"What are you doing?"

Tom jumped at Georg's low, hoarse and decidedly amused voice.

He let go of Georg's hair at once, his eyes wide, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Then he tried to move backwards without Georg noticing. He was fully aware of how childish he was acting but couldn't help his reaction. When he was a bit away from Georg, he grabbed the pillow and put it over his head, hoping Georg had just been sleep-talking and would go back to sleep now.

Of course, Georg never did what you wanted him to do.

Tom could feel him roll over and shivered when Georg's warm breath was suddenly on his skin.

"Were you smelling my hair?" Georg's still-amused voice was close to his ear now and Tom winced in embarrassment.

He lifted the pillow a little and peeked outside, unable to stop smiling when he was faced with Georg's sleepy and incredibly adorable grin.

He sighed and buried his face back in the pillow. "Yes."

"Cute," Georg murmured, sliding an arm around him and using the other one to grab the pillow and toss it away, so that Tom couldn't hide behind it again.

Tom took a breath and faced Georg, his stomach swirling intensely when the other boy gave him that incredibly gorgeous smile again.

"You okay there?" Georg asked softly, and Tom managed to nod. They looked at each other for a long moment then, until Georg pushed himself up on his elbow and looked at him with a slight frown. "Hey, are you sure you're okay? You look a little… I don't know. Worried? Did something happen to Bill?"

The concern on Georg's face was heart-warming and Tom quickly flashed him a reassuring smile. "No, no, Bill is fine, I think. I don't know. I haven't heard from him since last night."

"Oh," Georg said, relaxing. "Good."

He paused. "Then what _are_ you worried about? Tell me?"

Tom chewed on his bottom lip, tonguing his lip ring nervously as he tried to think of a way to ask Georg this without sounding completely pathetic and inexperienced. He had, after all, never been in love before, and none of his relationships had lasted longer than a few months at the very most.

He brushed a braid back behind his shoulder and took another hopefully calming breath. "I just… What does this mean?"

He looked at Georg intently, hoping to find all the answers in Georg's eyes. But he had never been good at reading people – obviously – and continued, "I mean… we kissed. We had sex last night, and I just… what does it all mean?"

He hoped he didn't look as pathetically confused as he felt, and Georg's smile made him feel better.

A little, at least.

Georg leaned forward slowly and pressed a soft kiss against Tom's lips before putting his head back down onto the remaining pillow, his slightly calloused fingers stroking Tom's side. Tom shivered again and wondered if he was going to get an answer today, or if Georg would keep being all mysterious and seductive.

"It means that I love you," were Georg's next words and Tom froze. He was sure his heart stopped beating for a moment and just stared at the other boy with wide eyes.

Georg continued, "It means that I've been in love with you for quite a while and have been dreaming about these moments for even longer. It means that I want to spend every moment with you and never let you go. It also means that I'm planning to kiss and make love to you quite a lot in the near future, unless you have any objections to that plan."

He raised an eyebrow and Tom just stared, his mouth hanging open a little.

He hadn't expected Georg to confess all that right away. He wasn't sure what he _had_ expected, but not this, for some reason. Everything that had happened the night before should've prepared for this moment, but Tom still found himself caught completely off guard.

Georg was still waiting for an answer, and there was only one thing to say.

"No," Tom breathed hoarsely. "No objections at all."

Georg smiled and stroked Tom's hair gently. "Good."

Then he leaned in and kissed Tom again, which was all Tom had needed to know that no matter what happened, it would be all right. Georg loved him, Georg wanted him, Georg would stay with him… What more could he want?

 

~°~°~°~°~°~


	12. epilogue - new year's eve;

**epilogue – new year's eve;**

"I can't believe I missed all that!" Bill shrieked, flopping back onto the couch and pouting after Gustav had told him everything that had happened during Bill's time in Salzburg. It was obvious that Gustav enjoyed retelling the events, and he was even more enjoying Bill's pout.

After their big Christmas party, they had decided not to do anything big for New Year's Eve. Bill had returned the previous day and he had been pretty exhausted as well, so they had all agreed to just stay in, have fondue and champagne and maybe watch a few movies.

Bill let out a heavy sigh and Georg grinned as he watched his possibly soon-to-be brother-in-law look rather pissed off. "I so wanted to be there when you two shared your first kiss and everything. Couldn't you have waited until I got back?

Tom rolled his eyes. "May I remind you that it was _your_ idea? You told me to tell Georg that day, so stop complaining now. And even if you didn't get to see our first kiss, I'm pretty sure you'll soon be sick of watching us make out, so… it'll all work out, Billi."

Bill rolled his eyes but Tom was too focused on Georg to notice. He looked into his _boyfriend's_ eyes and felt his cheeks heat up when Georg leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on his lips, which still made Tom all tingly and fluttery. He closed his eyes and sank his hands into his lover's long, silky hair, his heart beating steadily in his chest when he realised that the year had turned out to be far better than he'd been hoping this time last year. He'd fallen in love, he'd managed to make the object of his desires fall in love with _him_ and he had a feeling that the next year was going to be even better than this one.

Their increasingly passionate kiss was interrupted by Bill who once again let out a very shrill shriek. "Oh my God, it's almost midnight! Quick, grab the champagne."

Tom reluctantly drew back and reached for his glass, never taking his eyes off Georg as Bill and Gustav did the obligatory countdown.

"Five…"

A smile curled Georg's lips as he lifted his own glass, never breaking the eye contact.

"Four…"

Tom's heart skipped a beat when he noticed Georg's glance at his lips. Even though they'd kissed almost permanently since Christmas Eve, Tom still got excited every single time.

"Three…"

His eyes fluttered closed when Georg leaned in slowly, his eyes glued to Tom's lips.

"Two…"

Georg's breath was warm on his face, their lips inches apart.

"One! Happy New Year!"

But Georg's kiss never came. Just before it was supposed to happen, Bill pounced them both, sprawling over their laps like a cat, and smooched them both on the cheek. "Happy New Year, mwah, mwah! 2012 is going to be a fucking _great_ year for Tokio Hotel!"

Bill beamed, and even though Tom still wanted Georg's kiss, he couldn't help returning Bill's enthusiastic grin – and agreeing with him. 2012 was definitely going to be the band's year.

Finally, Bill moved his ass off their laps and moved over to smooch Gustav, who looked a little terrified, and Tom turned back to Georg, giving him a sweet smile, and finally, that kiss they'd missed at midnight.

Tom smiled into the kiss as Georg's arms wrapped around him and knew that it was going to be _their_ year, too.

~°~°~°~°~°~


End file.
